Literature Review B

Dance Psychology for Artistic and Performance Excellence

(Jim Taylor and Elena Estanol)

This is a self-help book for dance students of all levels promoting self-confidence and a positive attitude to achieve artistic development. The collaborative authors are both sport psychologists who work with dancers to increase motivation and cope with the intense pressure of performance and competition. This book discusses key theories for achieving greater artistry particularly when under pressure. It has broadened my perspective of the psychological aspects regarding student’s confidence and their ability to progress and perform artistically. I felt this was an insightful piece of literature providing an important view point on one of my inquiry questions, can artistry be taught or is it something that is developed?

This book presents the theory that artistry can be taught within the dance class and its progress is underpinned by the mental attitude of the student. From a psychological point of view, developing artistically is a continual process that must be practised, with equal measure to technique. Through learning cognitive techniques to build trust in ability it is therefore possible to perform with sincere expression and confidence in the face of adversity. This process entails practising self-belief, developing confidence and the acknowledgement of successes, no matter how small. ‘With the confidence you have in yourself as a dancer comes positive, motivated, intensely focussed and emotional control for performing under pressure in exams, competitions and performances.’(p34)

Many dancers will come out of a class, exam or competition and automatically recall all the negative aspects that occurred. Negativity is common among dancers as many experience perfectionism and have unrealistic expectations, such issues can impact both physically and cognitively. Feeling anxious or overly nervous when performing in exams and competitions can cause stiff muscles, shallow breathing and loss of coordination. This reaction will certainly affect the level of artistry and can be very frustrating for the dancer so desperately wanting to perform at their best. This emotional pressure can be either self-inflicted or derive from other influences such as parents or peers.

So what can we as teachers do to address the psychological aspects of dance training? The authors claim there are various methods dance educators can implement in class to encourage a greater sense of artistry. They state it is necessary to create a positive environment allowing students to gain confidence steadily and progressively. It is beneficial for classmates to provide a support network for one another, to give and receive positive encouragement builds confidence and reduces stress. By practising breathing and relaxation techniques students can focus on themselves and their performance more intently.

Through experience and maturity students learn to deal with external and internal challenges through building resilience and emotional control. This is necessary when regularly performing under pressure. The authors recommend that students replace negative thoughts with positive ones, practice self-talk to increase motivation and share fears and coping strategies with class mates. Overcoming negative habits that have become ingrained is a continual process, a useful method being to write them down and replace with positive ones. These need to be positive but realistic and requires ongoing commitment, it’s important to always have an answer to challenge the negative.

The following quote from the book outlines the importance of disallowing self-doubt and negativity to dominate when rehearsing and performing; ‘I’ve learned that you cannot let fear overtake you. Yes, you have to be sensible, but if you let fear cripple you, then you just move correctly and you don’t dance anymore. Dancing is a combination of control and abandon, and you have to have that abandon to feel like you’re dancing.’ (Pat Catterson, choreographer and dancer, p119)

Conclusion

This book has provided me with an insight into the mental challenges dancers regularly face, and feel this resonates with my personal experiences of performing under pressure. I have discovered how psychology influences individual achievement and impacts on one’s ability to perform successfully and artistically. I have learned how negativity manifests itself, affecting the body and mind.

I plan to experiment with strategies recommended in this book, I will record evidence and evaluate these in my reflective journal with a view to including some in my artefact. I will therefore include the following within my lessons:

·         Class discussions on dealing with pressure

·         Practising mindfulness to retain composure in performance

·         Goal setting and reflection of achievements

·         Breathing and relaxation exercises.

This book has informed potential interview questions for teachers and performers, I would be interested to discover how they overcome certain challenges and what they do to stay in control of their performance.

Taylor, J., Estanol, E. and IVONNE, P. (2015) Dance psychology for artistic and performance excellence with web resource. United States: Human Kinetics.